The twisted parents of a young boy were arrested on horrific abuse charges after they allegedly punished the child by forcing him to drink hot sauce until he vomited and making him hold a bottle rocket in his mouth until it exploded. Kevin Grant, 31, and Kaitlin Elizabeth Baptiste, 29, were arrested on October 16 at their home in Naugatuck, Connecticut, WFSB reports. Now, they will potentially spend years in bars where they belong.
Naugatuck Police
- Grant, the boy’s stepfather, was particularly cruel. According to authorities, Grant forced the child to sleep in the laundry room for months on end with the door locked and also forced him to kneel on thumbtacks and drink hot sauce as a form or punishment for allegedly playing too rough with his siblings.
- The child was blamed for his sibling’s injury. While they were playing, the victim says one of his siblings was hurt and “cracked his head open,” something the victim denied any responsibility for but said he was punished for nonetheless. Because of this, Grant beat him with a belt before locking him in the laundry room. There, he had to stand in the corner facing the wall for a week and was forced to sleep in the laundry room for four months.
- The abuse was extensive and sustained. Grant is also said to have made the boy eat his own vomit and forced him to hold a bottle rocket in his mouth until it exploded, leaving a scar that was later noticed by a Department of Children and Families worker. As another form of punishment, Grant made the boy stand with one foot on a ladder lined with tacks and that when he grew tired, he had to put his foot down, which made them bleed.
- The victim’s mother knew of the abuse and did nothing. Because of her failure to intervene and protect her child, Baptiste was charged with risk of injury to a child, conspiracy to commit intentional cruelty to persons, conspiracy to commit disorderly conduct, and second-degree reckless endangerment. Grant faces similar and additional charges including risk of injury to a child, second-degree assault, intentional cruelty to persons, disorderly conduct, and second-degree reckless endangerment. While both posted bond quickly after their arrest, the child has presumably been removed from their custody.
